Andrei Grechko

Andrei Antonovich Grechko (17 October 1903-26 April 1976) was Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union from 12 April 1967 to 26 April 1976, succeeding Rodion Malinovsky and preceding Dmitry Ustinov.

Biography
Andrei Antonovich Grechko was born on 17 October 1903 in Golodaevka, Don Host Oblast, Russian Empire to a family of poor Ukrainians. He joined Semyon Budenny's cavalry force of the Red Army in 1919 during the Russian Civil War, and he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1928. During World War II, he commanded the 34th Cavalry Division, and he took part in the fighting against the Axis Powers around Kiev in 1941. On 14 December 1943, he became the commander of the 1st Guards Army, a command which he would hold until the end of the war. From 1945 to 1953, he commanded the Kiev Military District in the Ukrainian SSR, and from 1960 to 1967 he served as commander of the Warsaw Pact's ground forces during the Cold War. In 1967, he became Defense Minister, and he was responsible for maintaining the power of the Soviet Army as it entered the 1970s. He died in office in 1976.